Toy



Feb. 15, 1949. c, HlLLHOUsE 2,451,644

'TOY

Filed Aug. 14, 1946 j 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2.

INVENTOR.

Earl C. Hillhuusa ATTORNEYS.

Fe 15, 1949. E. c. HILLHOUSE 2,451,644

- Toy Filed Aug. 14, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .26 0 o ooeo -e o o e o 6 33I INVENTOR Earl Ill-11111101 52 ATTORNEYS.

during use of the toy.

Patented Feb. 15, 1949 ES PATENT OFFICE TOY I Earl C. Hillhouse, Tulsa,Okla. I Application August 14, 1946, Serial No. 690,515

4 Claims.

the axis of the shaft which will be entertaining to children,

Another object of the invention is to provide a'toy wherein the elementsof the movable member are constructed and arranged to permit adjustmentof the figures toward and from the strip or body whereby they may bearranged substan 'tially in balanced relation to cause the movablemember to descend rapidly with the axis of the shaft substantiallyhorizontal, and to permit relative adlustmentofthefigures toward or fromthe plane .of the strip or body whereby they may be arranged in.unbalanced relation to cause the movable member to descend slowly andhave a wobbling movement as it travels along the slot,

ifsodesired. v

Another objectof the invention is to provide a toy so formed that theshaft and the roller may be easilyfitted into place through the slot butprevented from accidently slipping out of the slot I Another object oftheminvention is to provide atoy having a body orstrip which may be setvertically in place upon .atablenor ,iloorwith either enduppermost andreversedafter the shaft has moved along the slot to'the lower endthereof and thus again dispose the shaftatthe upper end'of the body fortravel downwardly through the slot. n 7

Another object of theinvention is to provide a toy having a body'whichwill'be well supported foruse, but may be taken apart and packed in asmall box when not in use or when initially packed for shipment andstorage.

. Another object of theinvention is to provide a body which may beformedeither of wood or sheet material, and manufactured at low cost.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the improved toy. v

Fig. 2 is a side View thereof.

Fig. 3 is a view looking down upon the end piece or support for one endof the body of the toy.

4 Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, partly in vertical section,and partly in elevation, showing in full lines the balanced position ofthe shaft of the movable member, and in dotted lines, the unbalancedposition thereof.

Fig.5 is a view showing a modified form of the toy, partially in frontelevation and partially in vertical section. V

Fig. 6 is a side view of the toy shown in Fig. 5. Fig. Tie a View inside elevation showing the end piece at the upper end of the toydetached from a fragment of the upper portion of the strip or body ofthe toy shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 4,showing in full lines, the shaft of the movable member of this modifiedform of toy, in a balanced position, and by dotted lines, the unbalancedposition thereof.

v Fig. 9 is a plan view looking down upon an end piece of the modifiedform.

Fig. 10, is aplan view of the blank from which the metal end piece shownin Fig. 9 is formed.

Thistoy consists briefly of a body adapted to be supported in anuprightor vertical position and formed with a longitudinally extending. zigzagslot through which passes a shaft carrying at its ends figures whichhave movements imparted to them about theshaft as the shaft movesdownwardly through the slot. 7 The toy may be formed mainly of wood orsimilar, material, as shown in Figs. 1 through 4, and in this embodimentv of the invention the body 1 consists of a strip of Wood. ofappropriate length A and width and having its ends out straight acrossat, right angles to its side edges. A slot 2 extends'longitudinally ofthe strip or body I, and upon referring to Fig 2' it will be seen thatthis slot is a zigzag slotand at the intersections of its diagonally,extending sections 3 is formed with a rcuate edges 4 so that during useof the toy a roller 5 may easily movedownwardly along the slot'from onesection 3 thereof to another. A narrow slit 5"is formed longitudinallyof the body from one end thereof to the adjacent end portion of theslotZ, this slit being formed during manufacture'of the toy by use of ascroll saw used in producing the zigzag slot. This slit 5 also allowstheseparated portions 6 of the slit end portion of the strip or body tobe sprung away from each other for insertion of the roller 5 through theslot.

. The roller is formed as shown in Fig. 4 and consists of a tubularsleeve I having circumferentially extending flanges 8 at its ends, andattention is called to the fact that the length of the sleeve is such;that when the roller is passed into' the slot 2 it will project fromopposite sides of the body a sufficient distance to allow the roller tobe tilted in either direction as shown by dotted lines in Figure 4. Theshaft 9 is formed from a dowel of such diameter that it will fit snuglyin the bore of the roller and is of such length that when it is passedthrough the roller it will project a considerable distance from each endof the roller.

Acrobatic figures I are carried by end portions of the shaft and as theroller moves along the slot, from: the upper endthereof towards itslower end, the shaft turns with the roller and the figures will be movedabout the shaft and execute turning movements.

In the present illustration, each figure l0 represents an acrobat havingits arms and legs -H and (2 respectively, pivoted to a body l3 and outerends of the arms reduced'to form pinsd' l' groove 11 to receive thecooperating endof the body. By this arrangement the body .I may bedetachably connectedtothe pieces l6, and the end piecev thatislowermostprojects'laterally of the body L'asufiicient distance to cause the bodyto be supported in an upright position. This is clearly shown in Fig. 1and referring to this figureit will be seen that the body maybesupported upright with either end uppermost. Therefore, after (theroller 5," and parts carried thereby, has. moved do'wnwaridly'in theslot to the lower end thereof, the bo-dy may be inverted and the movablemember will'again" travel down-' wardly to' the lowerend of the slot. Asthe roller travels downwardly in the slot, it rides upon lower edgesof'theportions 3 thereof, andsince these portions slope in oppositedirections, .the roller and parts carried thereby :will'turn first in.one directionand then'in an opposite direction, ,during this'downwardmovement and cause the figures to alternate the direction of theirmovement about the axis of'the shaft. By adjusting the position of theshaft 9 .throughthe roller .5rso. that it. and the acrobatic .figuresill? are in balanced relation with. respect to the roller, the movablemember-will descend rapidly andnot wobble,'.butlif inunbalancedrelatiomit will descend more slo'wly,,and'the flanges 8rubbingon thebo'dyl .will cause it to wobble.

InFigs. 5 .throughlD, there .isshown the modified form of constructionwhich may be formed chiefly-of metal. In this embodiment of theinvention abody |8.is .formed .froman elongated blank or .strip of .tin.or other suitable sheet metal. The metalstrip hasrside edge portionsbent .to form tubular-beads or columns 19 and adjacent its ends-themetal .stripiis crimped to form transversely extending reinforcingv1-ibs-2ll. Slits 2 l which are cut-along inner sides -:of the ends ofthe columns l9, provideztonguesiz,which extend .thefu-ll width-of thebody between the columns at the ends: of the body.

End pieces. .23 are gprovided for support of the body |.8,and they areof duplicate construction, each. being preferably formed from asheetmetal blank orstrip 24,-shownin Fig. 10. This blank is preferably formedwith transversely extending rows of perforations 25 and 26 which serveas fold lines and allow the blank to be easily and -versely-andcooperate .with each other to form isleeves:3l=-at ends of the tongues29. When the end pieces'are applied to the body l8 the sleeves 35 arefitted into ends of the tubular columns 19, the tongues 22 of the bodyare fitted between the tongues 29 of the end pieces and the ends oflipswor tongues 29 are accommodated in the slits 2|.

A"shaft' 3'2 'of "the movable member carries figurest33 and the shaftpasses through a roller 34 corresponding to the roller 5. This roller 34has annular flanges 35*at the ends of itssleeve '36,"-and when thisroller is mounted; in a zigzag slot 31 forme'd'in' the body N3, theroller will roll downwardly inthe slot, and alternately turn in oppositedirections during its downward movement.-

In this form ofthe invention, thexshaft 32 may be 'in'fixed relation tothe roller 34, .and the figures 33 islidably'secured "by "frictionalengagement on theend portions of .the shaft aslby use 30 of hubs-38formed integral with thefigures. Thus the figures 33 may beremovedfol-packing and storage, and may be adjusted "longitudinally of theshaft-32' for balancing the "movable member in'the slot'-'31,"or,as'shown by'dotted' lines in Fig.8, one'of the figures 33" maybe moved closer to the rolle'rt l than the other figureito' obtainunbalanced relationshipand thereby "cause the movable member to wobbleas it. descends with respect to the-body I.

The flanges '35 'of' the roller"34' are spaced apart a distance=greaterthan thethicknes of body'lB. so that this wobbling of the movablemembermay be accomplished and also so'that the roller 34 may be placedinthe zigzag slot '31, as by springing a tongue likeportion 39of thebody {I 8'between runs 40 "of the slot 31 outwardlyv a'dista'nce.sufiicient -to permit a person .tO cant the rollerinto place,after'which'the tongue'39 will spring back to "normal position. Thisenables me to fixsthe roller 34 tothe shaft 32 at the time. ofmanufacture and when placing the rollerinto thezigzag slot, it isunderstood that.amorticnofthe shaft 32 is first extendedthru theslot. ata time whenthe figure 33 .atthat portion of the shaft is removedtherefrom. Alsowhen removing-the roller andshaft fromlthe. slot, .atleast one of the figures must first be removed from theshaft.

I claim .1. In a toy,lan.upright body-memberprovided with .a zigzagslot-extending from an :upperportion to alowerportion thereofyandamovable member adapted to descendbygravity with respect to the bodymember,comprisinggashaft extending transversely thru. and revoluble insaid member to descend rapidly with the axis of the shaft substantiallyhorizontal, and to permit of relative adjustment of the figures towardand from the plane of the body member whereby they may be arranged inunbalanced relation to cause the movable member to descend slowly withthe peripheries of the flanges rubbing against the upright member andthe axis of the shaft extending diagonally with respect to the plane ofthe body member.

2. In a toy, an upright body member provided with a zigzag slotextending from an upper portion to a lower portion thereof; and amovable member adapted to descend by gravity with respect to the bodymember, comprising a roller, 1

spective end portion of the shaft whereby the figures may be adjustedlongitudinally of the shaft to substantially balanced relation to causethe movable member to descend rapidly with the axis of the shaftsubstantially horizontal, and to permit adjustment of one of the figureson the shaft to a position nearer the plane of the body member than theother figure, whereby they may be arranged in unbalanced relation tocause the movable member to descend slowly with the peripheries of theflanges rubbing against the upright member and the axis of the shaftextending diagonally with respect to the plane of the body member.

provided with an axial bore, revoluble in said slot,

a flange carried by each end portion of the roller, said flangesdisposed at opposite sides of the body member and spaced apart adistance slightly greater than the thickness of said body member, ashaft extending thru said bore and having snug frictional engagementwith the roller, and an acrobatic figure on each end portion of theshaft, said shaft being adjustable longitudinally in said bore wherebythe figures may be arranged in balanced relation to cause the movablemember to descend rapidly with the axis of the shaft substantiallyhorizontal, and to permit adjustment of the shaft with one of thefigures to a position nearer the plane of the body member than the otherfigure, whereby they may be arranged in unbalanced relation to cause themovable member to descend slowly with the peripheries of the flangesrubbing against the upright member and the axis of the shaft extendingdiagonally with respect to the plane of the body member.

3. In a toy, an upright body member provided with a zigzag slotextendingfrom an upper portion to a lower portion thereof; and a movablemember adapted to descend by gravity with respect to the body member,comprising a roller revoluble in said slot, a flange at each end portionof the roller, said flanges disposed at opposite sides of the bodymember and spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the thicknessof I said body member, a shaft carried by and coaxial with said rollerand extending outwardly beyond said flanges and an acrobatic figure oneach end portion of said shaft, said figures each having a hub in snugfrictional engagement with its re- 4. A toy comprising a body formedfrom a strip of sheet metal having side edge portions rolled to formtubular columns along opposite side edges of the body, said body beingformed with a longitudinally extending zigzag slot, base membersdetachably engaged with the ends of the body for reversably supportingthe body upright, said base members each consisting of a sheet of metalprovided withfold lines and bent along the foldlines to form a bottomplate and leaves extending inwardly over the bottom plate from oppositeends thereof and terminating at their free ends in upwardly projectinglips constituting jaws, the said jaws having their ends bowedtransversely and cooperating to form sleeves at opposite ends of thejaws, said sleeves fitting snugly in the ends of the columns and endportions of the body between the columns being gripped between the jawsof the base member, a shaft passing thru the slot and mounted forrolling movement downwardly in the slot, and figures carried by ends ofthe shaft.

EARL C. I-IILLHOUSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS France Got, 30, 1907

